1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to electrical control of faucets and more particularly to apparatus for electrically adjusting the amount of flow and temperature of that flow in commercial household mixing faucet including an automatic liquid soap dispenser.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many present day household faucets include two handles or two knobs and a single spout, rotation of each handle or knob controlling its respective valve opening. One valve controls the flow of hot water and the other valve controls the flow of cold water. The mixture of hot and cold water flows out of the single spout. The temperature and volume of the mixture is controlled by the amount each valve is opened.
Manipulation of the handles or knobs in often difficult for the elderly, particularly those with an arthritic condition. Also children may not have the strength to open a faucet valve that is tightly shut. Faucets for use by the handicapped are designed with huge handles having a long lever arm. But even these long handles may be difficult for one to manage.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,889,315 entitled "Electrically Opening and Closing Faucet Device" describes the electrical control of a faucet having a single spindle controlling a single valve for controlling the flow from a single spigot. There are a number of problems with this design, an aesthetics problem, an operational problem and a mechanical problem.
Great care is taken by Industrial Designers to develop household appliances which are pleasing to the artistic eye and fit the decor of the room. The design of the '315 patent would result in the knob or handle being located in an unsightly position.
The operational problem results because no ready means is described for mixing the hot and cold water to the desired temperature. Note that the electrical sensor control claimed implies that only water having a fixed temperature is supplied.
The mechanical problem results since it not obvious how the invention would be mounted to a household faucet.
Dual valve faucets are designed so that the hot and cold water valves may close in the same direction, or that they may close in the opposite direction. For example, a hot water valve may close in a clockwise direction and the clod water valve may also close in a clockwise direction. On another type of faucet the hot water valve may close in a counter-clockwise direction, while the cold water valve closes in a clockwise direction. It is not obvious how this would be accomplished without an additional switch to change the rotational direction of the drive motor which would change the rotation of the valve. Therefore this would result in a problem whereby depressing the OFF button would turn the water ON, and depressing the ON button would turn the water off.